Cricket in Bahamas: An island with 178-year history seeks fresh wind in sales

PTI, Dec 5, 2024, 12:44 PM IST

Albany (Bahamas): The soft, rhythmic beats of Goombay — the indigenous music — flowing from the bar, a couple of idling around groundsmen and some dust-laden sports equipments at the Haynes Oval here don’t reveal the eventful 178-year tryst Bahamas has with cricket.

That veil of insignificance thickens as cricket is now being played at this venue only on the weekends.

But in some ways, the Haynes Oval resembles the shambled state of cricket in the country, where the sport was first played in 1846 by the visiting English sailors and settlers.

Cricket, the second oldest competitive sport in the Isles after horse racing, which began in 1796, lost the status of the national sport in 2023.

“We need a lot of work to do, just as several other (ICC)(Associate) nations we also have to deal with inadequate infrastructure, besides we need to bring the attention of young natives to cricket, who at this point, are attracted to basketball,” says Gregory Taylor, a veteran administrator.

While the influence of big money in the NBA is often used as an excuse for the decline of cricket in this part, there is some truth in Taylor’s words as Bahamas is the closest Caribbean island to the United States.

“In the government’s drive to keep the tourism ties closer to the US, they have liberal provisions for people who want to travel to and from the States.

The young Bahamians see this as a chance to show their wares in the NBA.

“When you have an easy road ahead to earn money, why would they struggle? So, we need to be a little bit wise to introduce some early programmes and incentives to keep them back at cricket,” he noted.

The Bahamas Cricket Association has taken some steps in that direction in the recent past.

“We have taken cricket to the schools and colleges here through Kwik Cricket, modelled on its version in Australia and New Zealand. We have close to 10000 children registered with the programme, and it has sparked some interest in the society,” he added.

It is a version of cricket to make children familiar with the sport and its rules in a fun way, using beginner’s bats and soft balls.

Each team consists of eight players — both boys and girls — and Kwik Cricket is tailored for children up to the age of 11.

Taylor also wants to leverage the growing Asian diaspora in the Bahamas to increase the footprint of cricket in the Islands.

“We have a good mix of Asian population here and they are very keen on playing cricket. We have two Indians currently playing in our national team, and it’s good because they come with a lot of enthusiasm and a different skill set,” he said.

Batters Ashok Nair and Sandeep Goud are appearing for Bahamas in the ongoing ICC World T20 Qualifiers (Sub-Regional Americas) in Buenos Aires.

On its behalf, the ICC too has chipped in with preparing three turf pitches at the Haynes Oval, besides two more practice decks at the venue.

“It was a fine gesture by the ICC. It will also help the ground staff here to learn how to prepare quality pitches for matches at all levels.

“Hopefully, we can have a few more (pitches) at the Windsor Park (second cricket ground here), as the players will have more facilities to play and train, rather than depending on just one stadium,” he noted.

Bahamas also has recently signed former South African First-Class cricketer Nkululeko Serame, now a Level III coach, who has the experience of working at Cape Cobras and Leicestershire in English County cricket.

The Bahamian cricket also received a massive fillip when Marc Taylor, dubbed as ‘Baby Gayle’, was recently signed by the Miami Lions for the Max 60 International T10 after his fine effort in the Carib Cup T10.

Taylor, who is the first Bahaman cricketer to receive any kind of international contract, made 240 runs in five matches in that event at an average of 60 and at a strike rate of 193.

“It’s a good sign for Bahamas cricket, as young players will feel confident about their chances of going higher in cricket. I am optimistic.

If Canada and Bermuda can improve and play at the highest level then I am certain that we can also do that. It’s a matter of tapping the talent and having the right guidance,” said Taylor.